Easy & Incredible Tasting Buttery, Flaky Puff Pastry
Homemade puff pastry produces a cloud-like, buttery, puffy crust used in tarts, strudels, pies, and the list goes on. This is an easier version to make than a bakery version using shortcuts to decrease the effort while still creating a great product. You only need 4 ingredients plus water along with a little time to roll and fold the dough 3 times. There are less than 30 active minutes!
Servings: 1 pgk
Ingredients
- 282.5 g (10 oz / 2½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 118 ml (½ cup) water
- 13 g (1 tbsp) granulated sugar superfine is best
- 6 g (1 tsp) salt table salt/ fine granules are best
Instructions
- Dice the butter into small ¼-inch pieces and place in the refrigerator along with the measured-out flour, mixing bowl, and paddle attachment or utensil you will use to make the dough. All ingredients should be very cold (at least 30 minutes in fridge) when using them.
- Measure out water and add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to get very cold.TIP: You can place the bowl and utensil in the freezer. All ingredients, bowl, and utensils can be left in their respective cold places for up to several days.
- Once very cold, add flour and butter to the cold stand mixer bowl. Toss butter with flour using your hands to disperse the butter and ensure that each piece is lightly coated with flour.
- With the bowl and paddle attached to the stand mixer, beat on low speed for about 30 seconds to break up the butter.
- Pour in water and increase speed to medium. Beat only a few seconds until the dough comes together in chunks and turn off the machine. Careful not to overmix the dough.TIP: Avoid gluten development and ensure the butter remains in chunks.
- Remove the dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to shape dough into a rectangle. With work surface floured well, use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 12 x 18-inch rectangle.
- Starting at one short side, fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter. Fold the top third down then the bottom third up. You should have a shape that resembles a long rectangle envelope.
- Rotate the folded edge so the seam in on your left side resembling a book. On a floured surface, roll out the dough again to another 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Fold again into a letter. Repeat rotating the letter, so the fold is on the left, roll out 1 more time, and fold again like a letter.TIP: You should roll and fold 3 times each ending with the 3rd fold.
- Wrap the dough well in plastic and place in refrigerator at least 1 hour until firm to overnight up to 3 days. You can freeze the dough, sealed well, for up to several weeks and thaw in the fridge overnight before using.